Shelving apparatus and installation thereof between wall studs



Dec. 14, 1965 DAlTCH 3,223,246

SHELVING APPARATUS AND INSTALLATION THEREOF BETWEEN WALL STUDS Filed June 22, 1964 l a 1 I INVENTOR. MAURICE 1.. DA/ TCH,

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United States Patent 3,223,246 SHELVING APPARATUS AND ENSTALLATION THEREOF BETWEEN WALL STUDS Maurice L. Daitch, 11680 Gateway Blvd., West Los Angeles, Calif. Filed June 22, 1964, Ser. No. 376,790 6 Claims. (Cl. 211-434) This invention relates to shelving especially adapted for holding rows of containers, While useful for various applications, the invention is especially advantageous as applied to installation in open spaces between 2 X 4 studding in garages, tool sheds, stores, factories etc., for holding miscellaneous small articles (e.g., hardware items such as nails, screws, etc., or other small items such as buttons, hooks and eyes, etc.) and the invention has as its broad object to provide a combination of shelving components and a novel arrangement of such shelving components in a between-studding installation wherein each shelf unit comprises an upwardly and forwardly tilted shelf and an upwardly and rearwardly tilted back panel cooperatively providing a trough-like support for a row of containers having their bottoms supported upon the shelf and their back sides resting against a back panel. Toward the attainment of this general object, the invention provides a shelving apparatus and installation:

(1) Comprising a pair of supporting bracket units adapted to be attached to opposed laterally spaced vertical faces of a pair of wall studs or equivalent parallel laterally spaced vertical support surfaces, said brackets providing an inverted T arrangement of slots adapted to receive the ends of the shelf and the back panel mem bers for supporting them between such vertical support surfaces;

(2) Wherein each back panel has its lower margin seated upon and supported by its respective shelf panel and is locked in position by such shelf panel;

(3) Wherein easy and rapid installation is provided for by inserting the back panel upwardly through the supporting slots for its respective shelf and then inserting the respective shelf in those slots below the lower margin of the back panel in supporting relation thereto;

(4) Wherein the shelf panels are securely retained against displacement from their proper positions (e.g., from the eifect of vibrations, removal of containers, etc.) as a result of the downward, rearward inclination of its supporting slots and the engagement of its rear margin against the vertical wall surface between the supporting studs of the building;

(5) Which, in one embodiment, utilizes a pair of stamped, cast or molded sheet metal T brackets including cross arms at the lower ends of respective medial arms projecting upwardly therefrom, and wherein the engagement of the end of one cross arm and the end of the medial arm against the vertical wall surface between building studs determines the proper angle for installation of the brackets against the opposed vertical faces of the studs;

(6) Wherein the upper margin of the back panel may abut and provide a support for the lower face of the next higher shelf panel, abutting the same along the rear margin thereof; 7

(7) Which may be embodied in a modified form utilizing a pair of multiple-shelf brackets which can be provided in any selected length (for any selected height of a tier of shelves) and in which intersecting diagonal slots are provided for a series of vertically spaced shelves and a corresponding series of vertically spaced back panels adapted to be installed and supported as outlined above;

(8) In which the single-shelf T brackets, although installed as rights and lefts, can be of identical construction 3,223,246 Patented Dec. 14, 1965 so as to be reversible for the right and left arrangement;

(9) Which can be embodied in a multiple-shelf bracket unit which likewise can be reversed for both right and left use;

Other objects and advantages will become apparent in the ensuing specification and appended drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary break-away perspective view of a between-stud shelf installation embodying a pair of single-shelf supporting T brackets;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the T bracket of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3a is a fragmentary perspective view of the central portion of the bracket;

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a modified form of the invention utilizing multiple-shelf supporting brackets;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the same;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of a further modified form utilizing a reversible multiple shelf bracket; and

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of a further modification.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, and in particular to FIG. 1, I have shown therein, as an example of a shelving apparatus and a between-stud installation thereof, embodying the single shelf bracket form of the invention, a pair of stamped sheet metal T brackets indicated generally at A; an open-studding building wall construction B in which the shelving is installed; and a pair of shelf panels indicated generally at C, having their ends supported in brackets A.

Referring now to FIG. 2, each of the T brackets A comprises a crosshead consisting of a pair of cross arms 10 and a medial arm 11 having one end thereof integrally joined to adjacent ends of the arms 10. The arms 10 and 11 are of channel-section, defining a shelf-supporting groove 12 and a back panel supporting groove 13 respectively. The integral connection between medial arm 11 and cross arms 10 may consist of integral bends 14 joining the lateral flanges of the channel members of arms 10 to those of the arm 11.

The slot in medial arm 13 has open communication with the cross slot 12 at 15 (FIG. 3a) and the outer webs of cross arms 12 are separated by a rectangular notch 16 which is aligned with the open end 15 of slot 13 so as to constitute in effect a continuation thereof, whereby vertical panels can be inserted through the notch 16 into the slot 13 as hereinafter more fully described. The arms 10 and 11 are provided with a plurality of spaced fastener points 17 which are struck out from lanced apertures 18 in the back webs of the respective arms.

Supporting wall structure B comprises a pair of laterally spaced vertical studs 21 supporting a vertical wall structure 22 which can be of any conventional building construction type (e.g., lath and plaster). The wall structure 22 provides a back wall for an interstud space 23 in which the shelving of my invention is installed.

The T brackets A are installed in right and left pairs between the studs 21 by driving their fastener points 17 into the opposed vertical faces of studs 21. The proper positions of inclination of the arms of brackets A is determined by abutting the ends of an arm 10 and of an arm 11 against the back wall 22 at the points indicated at 25 and 26 of FIG. 1.

The shelf panel assembly C comprises a shelf panel 31 and a back panel 32 the ends of which are mounted in the respective bracket slots 12 and 13. These panels are installed by sliding the back panel 32 upwardly through the notches l6 and through the openings 15 into the grooves 13. While manually supporting the panel 32 as it has thus been positioned, the shelf panel 31 is slid into the supporting grooves 12 of arms 10 from the front, clearing the lower margin of back panel 32 and positioned by abutting engagement with the vertical back wall 22. The back panel 32 is then allowed to come to rest with its lower margin abutting the upper face of shelf panel 31 approximately midway between the forward and rearward margins thereof. The two panels are disposed at right angles, defining between them a 90 V trough. Thus there is provided a trough-like support including an upwardly and rearwardly inclined back support and an upwardly and forwardly inclined shelf, in which a row of containers 35 (FIG. 4) can be rested with their bottoms supported against the forwardly projecting half of shelf panel 31 and their back sides reclining against the back panel 32.

FIGS. 4 and 5 disclose a modified form of the invention wherein multiple shelf brackets A are provided for attachment to the opposed side faces of studs 21 and in which a series of shelf panels 31 are mounted in respective slots 12 in the brackets A, spaced vertically a distance corresponding to the width of back panels 33 which are mounted in vertical slots 13 in the brackets A. Brackets A may be formed from boards (wood) or of molded plastic strip material, with the slots 12' and 13 milled or molded therein; or may be of embossed or pressed sheet metal or sheet plastic material reinforced by marginal side flanges as well as the channeled portions defining slots 12 and 13, suitably embossed or impressed therein. They may be either of nailable material through which nails can be driven into the studs 21 or provided with suitable nail or screw apertures.

Each of the shelf panel slots 12 extends full width of the respective bracket A and is open at the front and back margins of the bracket. Each of the panel slots 13 extends throughout the height between two pairs of adjacent shelves, crossing a respective slot 12 midway between its upper and lower extremities. The lower extremities of slots 13 are open through the forward margins of brackets A so that the panels 33 may be entered into the slots from below and slid upwardly to their installation positions. For example, the uppermost back panel 33, seen fragmentarily in FIG. 4 will be installed through the lower halves of matching slots 13 crossing the slots 12 in which the corresponding shelf panel 31 is subsequently installed. The panel 33 which is being installed will be slid upwardly until its upper margin abuts the underface of a higher shelf panel 31 previously installed (whereupon its lower margin will clear the upper sides of the shelf slots into which the corresponding shelf panel 31 will then be slid after inserting the same through the open forward ends of slots 12). The next lower back panel 33 will then be installed in a similar manner, entering its upper margin into the lower extremities of its respective pair of slots 13 and sliding it upwardly across the pair of shelf slots 12 immediately below the shelf panel 31 that has just been installed. The engagement of the upper margin of this panel 33 against the underside of the upper shelf 31 seen in FIG. 4 will support this upper shelf 31 against sagging in the middle, and will properly position this second back panel 33, and the next lower shelf panel 31 will then be slid into its respective slots 12 beneath the lower margin of the matching back panel 33 which will then come to rest against the shelf panel 31 that has just been installed. In each instance the respective shelf panel 31 is slid rearwardly and downwardly until its rearward margin contacts the vertical back wall 22, which determines its installed position. If it is desired to have the shelf panel project forwardly beyond the studs, or if it is desired to utilize shelf panels narrower than the horizontal depth of the inter-stud space, the rear corners of the shelf panel can be positioned against stop nails or screws inserted in holes in brackets A in the bottoms of slots 12.

The brackets A, instead of being installed between wall studs, can be attached at their rear margins to a wall panel or other finished wall surface, and may then project forwardly from such wall surface with their outer faces exposed.

The brackets A of FIGS. 1-3a are reversible for the reason that the cross arms 10 thereof are of equal length and therefore symmetrical with respect to the medial arm 11. Thus it becomes possible to provide a kit or set of parts for a shelf assembly including a pair of T brackets of identical construction, made from a single set of dies, and yet installed as a right and left pair. Also, the shelf panel 31 and back panel 33 may be of identical dimensions and are so shown in the drawing. Accordingly, a set of shelf parts comprising two brackets and two panels, along with a set of instructions can be easily and inexpensively constructed and packaged for distribution as a unit kit.

As shown in FIG. 6, multiple-shelf brackets A of identical construction can be provided for a multiple shelf arrangement such as that shown in FIG. 4 without the necessity for providing the brackets A in left and right configuration. The bracket A of FIG. 6 is reversible so that identical brackets can be arranged in right and left pairs. This is made possible by providing a second series of shelf and back panel slots 12" and 13 intersecting the slots 12' and 13 as shown, with reversed symmetrical inclination.

FIG. 7 illustrates how the brackets A1 may be formed of flat strip material, lanced, cast or molded to provide two series of tabs 41 struck outwardly in alternately opposite spacing so as to define between them the slots 12a and 13a respectively.

I claim:

1. Shelving comprising, in combination: a pair of laterally spaced building studs and a vertical back wall secured to and extending between said studs; a pair of brackets secured respectively to opposed faces of said studs, each bracket having a shelf slot inclined downwardly toward said back wall and a back panel slot inclined upwardly toward said back wall; a shelf panel having its ends received and supported in said shelf slots; and a back panel having its ends received and supported in said back panel slots, said panels cooperatively defining a V-trough-shaped seat for a row of containers each having its bottom seated against said shelf panel and a rear side reclining against said back panel, said back panel having its upper margin in close adjacency to said back wall, each of said brackets comprising respective arms of stamped sheet metal and of channel section defining said shelf slot and said back panel slot respectively, and having integral fastener-points for penetration of said studs, said points being struck out from the back webs of said channel sections.

2. Shelving comprising, in combination: a pair of laterally spaced building studs and a vertical back wall secured to and extending between said studs; a pair of brackets secured respectively to opposed faces of said studs, each bracket having a shelf slot inclined downwardly toward said back wall and a back panel slot inclined upwardly toward said back wall; a shelf panel having its ends received and supported in said shelf slots; and a back panel having its ends received and supported in said back panel slots and its lower margin seated on the upper face of said shelf panel, said panels cooperatively defining a V-troughshaped seat for a row of containers each having its bottom seated against said shelf panel and a rear side reclining against said back panel, said shelf slots and back panel slots being arranged in pairs of inverted T-configuration, with the upper end of each back panel slot and a rear end of each shelf slot and with the upper margin of said back panel and the rear margin of said shelf panel all disposed in substantially the vertical plane of the forward face of said back wall, each of said brackets comprising respective arms of stamped sheet material and of channel section defining said shelf slot and said back panel slot respectively, and the upper end of the arm defining said back panel slot and the rear end of the arm defining said shelf slot being abutted against said back wall so as to determine the positions of angular inclination of said slots.

3. Shelving apparatus for installation in a space defined between a pair of laterally spaced building studs and forwardly of a vertical back wall secured to and extending between said studs, said shelving apparatus comprising: a pair of brackets adapted to be secured respectively to opposed faces of said studs, e-ach bracket when secured to a respective stud, having a shelf slot inclined downwardly toward said back wall and a back panel slot inclined upwardly from said shelf slot toward said back wall; a shelf panel adapted to be mounted between said brackets with its ends received and supported in said shelf slots and its rearward margin substantially abutting a forward face of said back wall; and a back panel adapted to be supported between said brackets with its respective ends received and supported in said back panel slots, its upper margin sub stantially abutting said back wall, and its lower margin seated on the upper face of said shelf panel substantially midway between the forward and rearward margins thereof, said panels cooperatively defining, forwardly of said back panel, a V-trough-shaped seat for a row of containers each having its bottom seated against said shelf panel and a rear side reclining against said back panel, each of said brackets being of elongated strip form and having therein a plurality of pairs of said slots, each pair arranged in the form of an inverted T, with the back panel slot of each pair constituting the median leg of the T and extending upwardly from the respective shelf slot constituting the cross head of the T, each bracket further including, for each pair of back panel and shelf slot, a slot extending downwardly and forwardly as a continuation of the respective back panel slot and opening through the forward margin of the respective bracket whereby each back panel can be inserted from below the plane of its respective shelf panel, and slid upwardly through the respective shelf slots followed by insertion of its respective shelf panel below its lower margin by sliding the same rearwardly in its respective shelf panel slots.

4. Shelving apparatus for installation in a space defined between a pair of laterally spaced building studs and forwardly of a vertical back wall secured to and extending between said studs, said shelving apparatus comprising:

a pair of brackets adapted to be secured respectively to opposed faces of said studs, each bracket when secured to a respective stud, having a self slot inclined downwardly toward said back wall and a back panel slot inclined upwardly from said shelf slot toward said back wall; a shelf panel adapted to be mounted between said brackets with its ends received and supported in said shelf slot and its rearward margin substantially abutting a forward face of said back wall; and a back panel adapted to be supported between said brackets with its respective ends received and supported in said back panel slots, its

upper margin substantially abutting said back wall, and its lower margin seated on the upper face of said shelf panel substantially midway between the forward and rearward margins thereof, said panels cooperatively defining, forwardly of said back panel, a V-trough-shaped seat for a row of containers each having its bottom seated against said shelf panel and a rear side reclining against said back panel, each of said brackets being of inverted T configuration and comprising respective arms of stamped 1O sheet material and of channel section defining said shelf slot and said back panel slots respectively, and so proportioned as to have a selected angle of inclination for said slots determined by engagement of the upper end of each back panel slot-defining arm and the rearward end of a respective shelf slot defining arm abutted against said back wall.

5. A T-shaped bracket for attachment to a lateral face of a building stud in horizontally opposed relation to a like bracket attached to an opposed lateral face of an adjacent parallel stud, said bracket comprising a medial arm and a cross-arm to the center of which one end of said medial arm is attached, said arms being of channel section defining respective shelf and back panel slots, and

being so proportioned as to determine tilted positions for said slots as a result of abutting the free end of said medial arm and one end of said cross-arm against a back wall extending between said studs, whereby a pair of back and shelf panels inserted into said slots will cooperatively define a V-trough-shaped seat for a row of containers each having its bottom seated against said shelf panel and a rear side reclining against said back panel.

6. A shelf bracket as defined in claim 5, wherein said cross-arm has a central opening of notch form aligned 3 with the slot defined in said medial arm, so as to provide openings through which the ends of a back panel can be inserted through said cross-arms and into said medial arms.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,283,029 10 /1918 Arntz 248-236 1,694,520 12/ 1928 Sturdavant 211-134 1,827,008 10/1931 Huckel 211 134 2,101,582 12/1937 Hoff 108137 2,217,890 10/1940 Cohen 312 312 2,366,676 11/1945 Rosenthal 108-111 2,468,513 4/ 1949 Rider 211-134 2,527,253 10/1950 Hedfield 248-239 CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner. W. D. LOULAN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. SHELVING COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: A PAIR OF LATERALLY SPACED BUILDING STUDS AND A VERTICAL BACK WALL SECURED TO AND EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID STUDS; A PAIR OF BRACKETS SECURED RESPECTIVELY TO OPPOSED FACES OF SAID STUDS, EACH BRACKET HAVING A SHELF SLOT INCLINED DOWNWARDLY TOWARD SAID BACK WALL AND A BACK PANEL SLOT INCLINED UPWARDLY TOWARD SAID BACK WALL; A SHELF PANEL HAVING ITS ENDS RECEIVED AND SUPPORTED IN SAID SHELF SLOTS; AND A BACK PANEL HAVING ITS ENDS RECEIVED AND SUPPORTED IN SAID BACK PANEL SLOTS, SAID PANELS COOPERATIVELY DEFINING A V-TROUGH-SHAPED SEAT FOR A ROW OF CONTAINERS EACH HAVING ITS BOTTOM SEATED AGAINST SAID SHELF PANEL AND A REAR SIDE RECLINING AGAINST SAID BACK PANEL, SAID BACK PANEL HAVING ITS UPPER MARGIN IN CLOSE ADJACENCY TO SAID BACK WALL, EACH OF SAID BRACKETS COMPRISING RESPECTIVE ARMS OF STAMPED SHEET METAL AND OF CHANNEL SECTION DEFINING SAID SHELF SLOT AND SAID BACK PANEL SLOT RESPECTIVELY, AND HAVING INTEGRAL FASTENER-POINTS FOR PENETRATION OF SAID STUDS, SAID POINTS BEING STRUCK OUT FROM THE BACK WEBS OF SAID CHANNEL SECTIONS. 